Report: Florida To Host UFC 249

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

A day after Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced the cancellation of four scheduled events (full details here) news broke that UFC 249 — which was supposed to go down last weekend (April 18, 2020) — would indeed go down on May 9.

And while the promotion has once again kept the location for the proposed event a secret, MMA Fighting is reporting that the pay-per-view (PPV) card will go down in Florida, though a city was not revealed. Per the report, all fighters expected to compete on the card will be flown into Jacksonville, Fla. before making their way to the top-secret destination.

Governor Ron DeSantis’ office recently found a loophole that would allow UFC to stage events in “The Sunshine State,” much like it did with WWE. So it comes to nobody’s surprise that Florida would be a top destination for the promotion especially if “Fight Island” isn’t ready yet.

If you recall, Dana White and Co. tried to keep the previous location for April 18 a secret, too, but news ultimately leaked revealing that Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, California was set to play host. After originally dodging the report, White ultimately revealed that it was indeed set to go don in Lemoore once it was decided to cancel the card.

UFC 249 is tentatively set to be headlined by an interim Lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. In the co-headlining act, Henry Cejudo is expected to defend his Bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. Recently, Amanda Nunes ruled herself out of the card, which means she won’t be defending her 135-pound strap against Felicia Spencer.

No fret, the card is still stacked, as it will also see Francis Ngannou face off against Jairzinho Rozenstruick, while Donald Cerrone faces Anthony Pettis for a second time. Furthermore, Uriah Hall will face Jacare Souza in Middleweight action.

To see the entire UFC 249 fight card click here.